Becky Garrison reports for the Washington Post that alumni from uber-fundie Bob Jones University (BJU) have started an LGBT organization:

As a sign of the shifting U.S. culture regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, LGBT alumni from fundamentalist Bob Jones University (BJU), in Greenville, S.C., marched for gay rights at last weekend’s  NYC Pride March. Gathering under the banner of BJUnity, a newly formed affirming alternative for LGBT alumni and students of BJU, the marchers also shared their online petition calling for a public apology from the school for a 1980 statement made by now Chancellor Bob Jones III about homosexuals and subsequent extreme rhetoric as well as for what members view as a hostile environment for LGBT students and alumni.

Jeffrey Hoffman, executive director of BJUnity said their presence lets LGBT students and alumni know they are not alone, there and at other Independent Fundamental Baptist organizations.

On the significance of BJU alumni coming out in such a public platform, Truth Wins Out Founding Executive Director Wayne Besen said, “On sadder note, this shows how many people they’ve harmed who had to grow up with the horrible message that there’s something evil about them. But this is a testament of those individuals who are marching to their strength and faith that they’re able to overcome such hostility. Their actions show that social conservatives and fundamentalists like Bob Jones University can’t escape the far reach of progress in the LGBT movement.”

If you are a reader who came from a socially conservative college or university we would love to hear your thoughts on this, as well as your personal experience in such schools.